Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Page

(3/5 stars)

"I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.

But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado - taking you with it - you have no choice but to go along, you know?

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little bluebirds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still a yellow brick road - but even that's crumbling.

What happened? Dorothy.

They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

My name is Amy Gumm - and I'm the other girl from Kansas.

I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.

I've been trained to fight.

And I have a mission"

There were a couple of things I liked about this book, but unfortunately, the things I didn't like outweighed the things I liked. 

What I liked: I'm a big fan of the idea of retelling The Wizard the Oz. Like huge fan. And it's hard to get Oz right, but this was really well done. The world building was stellar and the descriptions were so vivid. The different organizations in Oz were clear and had their important roles without being confusing. I also really liked Amy. She was a cool character who had a great arc. It was great watching her grow and really become herself. That was definitely my favorite part. Especially when she was learning magic and training, it was a whole new side of Amy that was strong and fierce and it was fun to see.

What I didn't like: I just didn't care. It all felt too corny with the PermaSmiles and scarecrow experiments, and I couldn't take the book seriously. I think I mostly skimmed the first half of the book, really read the middle, and then skimmed through the end. For some reason, I couldn't attach myself to anything in this book, and even though it didn't take long for me to read, I just wanted it to be finished. I know that's not a good explanation of what I didn't like and why, but it's all I've got for now.

I don't know if I want to read the sequel. Yeah, I'd like to know what happens, but I don't know if it's worth it to me. It sounds harsh, I know. Maybe I'll pick it up at the library some day or something like that. I'm not in that big of a rush.

-Annie